'Secrets and Lies' returns to Wilmington to finish production

Monday

Jul 21, 2014 at 10:29 AM

There goes the neighborhood.

By Hunter IngramHunter.Ingram@StarNewsOnline.com

There goes the neighborhood.ABC's suburban murder mystery "Secrets and Lies" returns to Wilmington this week to complete production on its 10-episode freshman season.Production, expected to wrap before Thanksgiving, officially gets underway Thursday.On Tuesday, the show's cast, led by Ryan Phillippe and Juliette Lewis, will reassemble in Wilmington for a table read of the first episode back, marking the first time the group has been together since completing the pilot episode in March. In May, after reviewing that episode, ABC announced it had picked up the series for a planned premiere in 2015."We are very happy with the pilot," executive producer Aaron Kaplan said last week. "We made this pilot hoping that we would be back in Wilmington. We accomplished that goal, and everyone is really excited to return to North Carolina and take advantage of the great city.""Secrets and Lies," set in Charlotte, follows Ben (Phillippe), a family man well liked in his community, who, while on a morning run, stumbles upon the body of a young neighborhood boy. As news of the tragedy spreads, the neighborhood's secrets are brought to the surface, leading Det. Cornell (Lewis), to zero in on Ben as the prime suspect. Desperate to clear his name and save his already shaky relationship with his wife (Kadee Strickland) and two daughters, Ben vows to find the real killer himself."Under the Dome's" Natalie Martinez, Indiana Evans, Bella Shouse and Gregory Alan Williams costar.Speaking to the media at the network's presentation to advertisers in May, ABC president Paul Lee announced the central mystery would be resolved by season's end and any subsequent seasons would feature a new cast and a new crime.Kaplan, however, said one person will maintain a consistent presence from season to season."The conceit of the show is that, other than Juliette Lewis, who is the show's only series regular, everyone else is only locked in for one season," he said.Production on the pilot was centered primarily in a small Porters Neck neighborhood, which has once again agreed to host the show. "The good people of that neighborhood have allowed us to continue to shoot there, so we are really excited about working with them again," Kaplan said.During filming in March, crews decked out several homes with Christmas decorations to mirror the show's holiday season time frame. In addition to planned filming in the neighborhood, the show's construction crews are building sets, including several residential interiors, on the EUE/Screen Gems Studios lot, where it occupies two soundstages."We are going to enjoy as much of North Carolina and Wilmington as we can," he said. "As we write episodes, we will be looking for appropriate locations throughout Wilmington."As the production resumes on the nine remaining first-season episodes, crews also will reshoot portions of the pilot. Kaplan said the show's writers, led by showrunner Barbie Kilgman, have added a few new characters to the neighborhood and made minor tweaks to the story. The show has also recast the role of Ben's friend Dave, originally played by Clifton Collins Jr., with Tony-winning actor Dan Fogler. Reshoots on the pilot won't be done until the end of production."Secrets and Lies" arrives for its extended stay at a time of uncertainty for the local film industry, as the state's film incentive program is currently up for renewal in the General Assembly. The current 25 percent refundable tax credit expires at the end of the year.Kaplan, though, is staying optimistic about the possibility of sticking around North Carolina if the show runs multiple seasons. "We are hopeful that we can remain in North Carolina because we enjoy it and the people have been fantastic," Kaplan said. "But that, ultimately, is a decision (ABC Studios) is going to make."For the time being, cast and crew will focus on finishing the show's first season, which will air 10 p.m. Thursdays beginning early next year.The show is scheduled to complete filming months before it even begins airing, a situation that Kaplan believes is ideal for executing the writers' vision."It gives us a lot of time to make sure the episodes are perfect," he said. "It is an important project for ABC and the fact that we aren't airing in September means that we can really take our time and make this special."

Hunter Ingram: 343-2327On Twitter: @WilmonFilm

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